In a Nutshell

• Malta’s climate neutrality objective for 2050 aims to bring down CO2 emissions by 80%, according to the country’s climate strategies.
• The country has established a Climate Action Authority and an updated Climate Action Act that provides the legal framework for achieving climate neutrality.
• Malta is open to acting as a test bed for emerging technologies, such as carbon removal and capture and storage, in partnership with larger countries and private partners.
• The Maltese NECP, updated in 2025, mentions the development of a new long-term climate strategy, but the timeline remains unclear.

Role for carbon removal in national climate policy

Malta mentions its climate neutrality objective for 2050 throughout all of its main strategies related to climate and environmental policy.

Malta’s long-term climate strategy sets indicative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets of 60% for 2040 and 80% for 2050, resulting in remaining emissions of about 0.4MtCO2e in. Due to its small territory size and limited potential for economies of scale on new technologies, the strategy mentions that Malta is open to acting as a test bed for emerging technologies, such as carbon removal and capture and storage, in partnership with larger countries and private partners.

See more

Relevant legal frameworks

The new Climate Action Act (2024), which repealed the previous 2015 act, now legally binds the government to ensure all necessary actions are undertaken to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The Act also provides the legal basis for actions to limit emissions and to increase GHG sinks and reservoirs, and it established the Climate Action Authority to spearhead the nation’s climate change initiatives. While the Act is legally binding, it does not set a specific numeric target for residual emissions; this is instead outlined in Malta’s long-term climate strategy.

See more

Support for R&D and Innovation

The Climate Action Act created the Climate Action Fund, which is funded by Malta’s allocated ETS revenues, revenues generated by national policies, and from private actors. This fund is intended to finance climate mitigation measures.

The updated NECP for Malta mentions “Project Green”, where EUR 700 million over the course of seven years have been dedicated to the creation, maintenance and invigoration of parks, gardens and other green infrastructures. Although the positive impact on CO₂ sequestration from these afforestation projects will likely not be accounted toward the country’s LULUCF targets due to methodological constraints, it is still a significant investment in green infrastructure.

A high-level study was commissioned in 2021 to evaluate the feasibility of geological CO₂ storage off Malta’s coast, which revealed the existence of possible storage sites but also highlighted significant geological uncertainties and risks. The updated NECP expresses reservations about the widespread adoption of CCS, citing geographical constraints and concerns that it may divert focus from cleaner technologies.

On the horizon

The updated NECP mentions the development of a new long-term climate strategy to be prepared by the Climate Action Authority. However, the timeline is unclear.